Various methods have been proposed for transmitting data in a wireless network so that the various devices transmitting data do not interfere with each other.
One method that has been proposed by IEEE 802.11 describes a method to determine the availability of a transmission medium and then transmitting data during a Contention Period (CP) to avoid interference. The method employs Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA) for determining availability and transmitting data.
An extension to IEEE 802.11 is described in IEEE 802.11e which describes communication by using Contention Free Periods (CFPs) in a beacon interval. With IEEE 802.11e, each CFP is divided into CFP slots where each CFP slot is allocated to a single device for transmission of data. In such a fashion, the various devices do not interfere with each other.
However, where each CFP slot is allocated to a single device, as the number of devices in the wireless network increases and as the system conditions change in the wireless network, the efficiency of allocating a CFP slot to a single device leads to ineffective usage of the transmission medium.
Accordingly there exists a need for an improved method and system for data transmission in a wireless network.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.